Updated 11:08 pm, Thursday, September 26, 2013

The agency has been criticized in recent years for allegations of excessive force against detainees and agents firing into Mexico, as well as its secrecy after such incidents.

A human rights group that has been critical of CBP lauded the agency's moves. The union that represents Border Patrol agents said CBP is “caving in to pressure,” but it welcomed more transparency about assaults on agents.

Equipment training and tactics “to handle threats along the border and help agents and

officers de-escalate confrontation;”

Updating the agency's use of force policy handbook;

Changing the way the agency reports and tracks use-of-force incidents;

Test using cameras on vehicles and on officers — the proposal suggests officers may carry lapel cameras — “to both reduce the number of incidents when force is used and also to protect officers who face false accusations of misconduct.”

The Office of Inspector General report was launched at the request of members of Congress after a 2012 documentary detailed the death of a CBP detainee.

The report recommended CBP use training methods that put officers through various scenarios during which they might have to use force, and it said current reporting methods make it difficult to determine exactly how often officers use force.

Agents have reported hundreds of assaults every year, according to the IG, including what are known as rocking assaults, when people hurl projectiles at Border Patrol agents. Agents were rocked 185 times in 2012 and responded with firearms 22 times and with less-than-lethal force 42 times.

A CBP spokesman wouldn't say when these changes would be implemented, where the camera pilot program would take place and which divisions of the agency would receive cameras.

“After a thorough review, CBP has agreed with the spirit and concerns underlying all of the recommendations issued by the Office of Inspector General as well as the Police Executive Research Forum, a third-party which CBP commissioned to conduct an independent review of its use of force policies,” Acting Commissioner Thomas Winkowski said in a statement.

“As a result, CBP has begun making enhancements, many of which are already in effect, to its use of force program and practices, including our policies, training, and review processes.”

Moran said the union is resistant to the idea of body cameras, but it supports more openness by CBP about how often agents are assaulted, how often they use force and how those cases are resolved.

“We think there's nothing to hide and that our agents are trained very well and that by letting the sunshine in, they will show that agents are trained well and react the way they should,” he said.

Civil rights groups have alleged in recent years that officers abused their authority at ports of entry, used excessive force on detainees and shot at unarmed civilians in Mexico.

In an incident last September, a Border Patrol agent on a boat in the Rio Grande fired into Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, killing a man on the riverbank. Family members of Guillermo Arévalo Pedroza said he was unarmed and disputed the agency's claim that he'd been throwing rocks at the agents.

Video posted online by local media didn't show anyone throwing rocks, but it appeared a segment was edited out. The video did show children near Arévalo, who was attending a barbecue in a park, before he was shot.

Last summer, the American Civil Liberties Union detailed 11 incidents in which they said CBP officers violated the rights of people legally crossing the border at ports of entry.

The ACLU released its own set of recommendations for CBP, including stricter guidelines about when force can be used, additional training, the use of lapel cameras by officers and new guidelines for investigating and reporting on use of force incidents.

“The biggest missing piece here is clear and transparent accountability for officers involved in use-of-force incidents that lead to serious physical injury or death.”

The Border Network for Human Rights, which has criticized CBP in the past, lauded the new use-of-force measures and the fact that CBP worked with a third party to develop them, but the group also called for more transparency after use-of-force incidents.

“This announcement shows an overall concern with review and improvement rather than the agency adopting a defensive position,” Fernando Garcia, the group's executive director, said in a statement. “CBP's willingness to take these positive steps comes from organized community advocacy and engagement.”